The City of Denver just announced a new program that will reimburse attorney fees for owners of new bars, restaurants, dispensaries and entertainment venues that have needs and desires hearings, which are required for all cabaret, cannabis and liquor business licenses.According to the October 2 announcement from the Denver Department of Excise & Licenses , qualified businesses can receive up to $10,000 in grants to pay for legal fees associated with those hearings. Neighborhood organizations and residents who wish to voice their opposition or support for licenses are also eligible to apply for the reimbursements.Excise & Licenses doesn’t track how many businesses or neighborhood entities require attorneys during needs and desires hearings, but the program was created after “input received from the community,” according to executive director Molly Duplechian.”Lack of access to legal assistance should not be a barrier for residents to have their voice heard about the need and desire for a business to locate in their community,” she says in a statement. “Additionally, as we continue to take steps to ensure the licensing and public hearing process is inclusive and accessible, this new fund will remove some of the financial barriers for small businesses and support them on their path to generating economic activity.”Bars and restaurants serving alcohol, cannabis dispensaries and hospitality lounges, and cabaret venues must go through a public needs and desires hearing before receiving a local business license. During the hearing, the business owner must show that the surrounding neighborhood has — you guessed it — a need or desire for that particular business to open, while residents and registered neighborhood organizations within the designated community can voice their opposition or support. A city hearing officer presiding over the ordeal will then issue a recommended decision for the Excise & Licenses director, who makes the final call.According to the department, the average legal costs associated with a needs and desires hearing run from $5,000 to $10,000.The grant program is backed by $150,000, which comes out of the annual Excise & Licenses operating budget, according to department communications director Eric Escudero. Cabaret, cannabis and liquor licensees and neighbors or neighborhood groups that have taken part in hearings between January 1 and October 24 of this year and have hired legal representation are eligible for money, but they must also meet a series of financial or income requirements.”We hope it will be a big help for people in the cannabis industry, when you consider federal cannabis prohibition restriction and access to capital new business owners face, as well as the restaurant industry, especially when you consider how many of them have liquor licenses,” Escudero adds.Cabaret, cannabis and liquor business licensing has been on the rise in Denver since the pandemic, according to Excise & Licenses data. There were just 136 needs and desires hearings held for liquor, cabaret and cannabis business license applications in 2020, compared to 199 last year. Through September 22, there have been 167 such hearings in 2023.Businesses and neighborhood groups that participate in needs and desires hearings don’t have to hire attorneys, but “it will increase their chances for success,” Escudero says.”What we are seeing is more hearings, and more people looking for legal assistance to navigate. We’ve seen that one of the biggest challenges to starting a business is getting the required licenses,” he adds. “We’re announcing today the program for reimbursement for 2023, and our hope and intention is to continue a version of this program next year.”Attorneys can help with gathering neighborhood support through verifying signatures and securing witness testimony, as well as navigating Denver’s regulatory framework, according to business owners participating in Denver’s social equity program for cannabis entrepreneurs.Created under then-Mayor Michael Hancock, the program has launched entrepreneurial classes, held career fairs and hired a cannabis business liaison to help new business owners navigate local regulations, but those efforts have not yet panned out. According to July data from Excise & Licenses, only twenty of the 1,017 registered cannabis business owners in Denver — less than 2 percent of the total — are part of the social equity program. Prospective business owners who qualify for the cannabis social equity program have a streamlined chance for the new grant money upon application, according to the city’s website. Applications for the new grant program will be accepted from October 3 through October 24 — or when funding is exhausted — and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Excise & Licenses.